Ladle maintenance apparatus



Dec. 18, 1956 J. H. REIGHART 2,774,123

LADLE MAINTENANCE APPARATUS Filed Aug. l0, l 2 Sheets-Sheet l JNVENTOR. Julzehezlglzwr IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Dec. 18, 1956 Filed Aug. 1.0

J. H. REIGHART LADLE MAINTENANCE APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JuneHReLlgrIzr BY ATTmYS LADLE MAINTENANCE APPARATUS June H. Reighart, Cleveland, Ollio Application August 10, 1953, Serial No. 373,118

3 Claims. (Cl. 22-85) This invention relates to apparatus yuseful in the maintenance of ladles of the type used for molten metals.

It is common practice in steel mills, to receive from a furnace and convey molten metal in a ladle of the type having 'a bottom nozzle. The nozzle which is of refractory material is used as a valve, 'being closed by inserting there in the end of a stopper rod, which rod extends up to the top of the ladle and is raised out of engagement with the ynozzle when it is desired lto have the nozzle open as for discharge of metal into a mold.

There has been a problem in that the nozzles burn out and must be replaced after each heat is poured and, because the ladle is extremely hot from the previous heat of metal, considerable time is required in order to allow the ladle to cool to an extent suicient to allow a man to enter into the ladle and replace the nozzle. In general, the nozzles are tapered inwardly towards their bottoms and are cemented in the ladle, and for this reason cannot satisfactorily be replaced from outside the ladle.

In ordinary practice the ladle has -to have a new bottom nozzle in its lining after each heat is' poured and the ladle cannot be put back into service until the new nozzle is cemented and dried in place. It requires two and a half to three hours after a heat is poured for an ordinary steel milltype ladle to cool enough to allow a man to enter the ladle. He works under conditions which are even then extremely disagreeable and when his job is complete it still takes another hour to one and a hal-f hours to dry the cement around the new nozzle.

`It is an object of the present invention to provide simple and efficient means for overcoming the above-mentioned diculties.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel article of manufacture comprisin-g a ladle insert or liner useful in connection With maintenance of a molten metal ladle having a bottom pouring nozzle which must be replaced from inside the ladle and preferably when the ladle is quite hot.

A still further object is to provide a ladle insert or liner comprising a hollow metal shell having heat insulation material therein, and a bottom opening through which a workman may have access to the nozzle of a ladle into which the liner is inserted.

Another object is to provide such an insert or liner with means for placing it in a ladle and removing it therefrom.

A further object is -to provide an insert or l-iner of fthe character referred to having a door in one side near ythe bottom thereof for placing tools and material therein.

A still further object is to provide such an insert or 'liner having a ladder therein by means of which a workman may quicklyY enter and leave the liner after it is positioned Withina ladle.

Another object is to provide an overhangin-g safety rim ring at the top ,of the ladle insert Vadapted to overhang the top of 'the ladle, when the insert islocated therein, and spaced above the ladle rim suciently to allow for the escape of heat rising from the ladle,

2,774,123 Patented Dec. 18, 1956 It is also an object of the invention to provide spacer guides around the exterior of the ladle insert to insure center placement of the insert in the ladle so as to provide for air circulation and heat escape between the insert and the ladle.

A further object is to provide trunnions on the insert for engagement by the crane tr-unnion hooks for ease in positioning of the insert within a ladle.

These and other objects and advantages apparent to -those skilled in the art from the following description and claims, may be obtained, the stated results achieved, and the described diliiculties overcome bythe products, articles of manufacture, constructions, combinations, subcombinations, parts and elements which comprise the present invention, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement and a preferred embodiment of which, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principles, is set forth in the following description and shown in the drawings, and particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof.

The nature of the discoveries and improvements of the present invention may be stated in general terms as preferably including the method of servicing a molten metal ladle having a bottom pouring nozzle which must be replaced, by placing a heat resisting insert or liner within the ladle so that an operator may enter the heat resisting liner and replace the nozzle without waiting Ifor the ladle to cool. In accordance with the invention, means are provided for lifting the insert or liner into the ladle, preferably with a clearance between the outer diameter of the insert or liner and innerdiameter of the ladle, and means are also provided for gaining entry into the insert or`liner and operating therethrough upon said nozzle so that the remains of the old nozzle may be chipped out and replaced without waiting for the ladle to cool and without waiting an appreciable time for the ladle to be reheated in order for the nozzle to dry.

By way of example, preferred embodiments of my improved method of servicing a molten met-al ladle, and of an improved article of manufacture useful in connection therewith, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a conventional molten metal ladle provided with a heat resisting insert or liner constructed in accordance with the invention; Y

Fig. 2 is a vertical view of rthe ladle and liner of Fig. l partly cut away in order to disclose the interior construction;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical view showing the liner removed from the ladle, as by a crane hoist;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5 5 of Fig. l and showing a port-ion of the top of the ladle and liner and showin-g a top platform as hereinafter explained.

Referring to the drawings in which similar parts are designated by similar numerals throughout lthe several views, I have shown a ladle yfor molten metal such as steel and having an outer metallic shell 10 which may be of steel and an inner refractory lining 11 whi-ch may be made up of refractory bricks or which may be unitary and of a material such as silicon carbide.

The ladle is provided with the usual appendages including a pair of trunnion lifts 12, a top spout 13, a lifting bracket 14, for tipping the ladle so that the various oxides and lime making up the top slag will be discharged through the top spout 13, and a bottom casting nozzle 15 which, in accordancewith conventional practice is of refractory material and tapered to be of smallest dimension at its bottom an-d flares outward at its top adjacent the refractory lining material 11. This bottom pouring nozzle provides for the discharge of clean metal fromY resisting insert orgliner comprising, inthe illustrated embodiment, steel bucket 'shaped outer andinner shells, 2i? and V21 respectively, with intervening insulating material V22 which may be Vfibre glass, rock wool, for any otbrood l heat insulatingmaterial. 'This ladle Vinsert orliner .is ar-Y ranged to be inserted within the ladle with a clearance 2 4 between the outer diameter of `the insert and the innerdi- Y ameter of the ladle refractory material ,1-1.

For theY purpose of insuringpositive center placementof Vthe Vinsert vwithin the :lad-le Vso la's lto provide rpositive air circulation-and -heatlescape Y'between the insert and the ladle, spacer Iguides `2li .areequally spaced .around the lower circumference ofthe vouter shell 20 of theladle insert.

The inner Aand :outer wallsY and the intervening insulation lof thev insert are all cut out to provide Van opening 25 which is somewhat vlarger than the Vnozzle -15 to be replaced, and which-opening istadapted 'to be aligned with the area adjacent the nozzle when the insert is placed within Vthe ladle as by a crane hook, the insert being provided with lifting Vmeans such yas a bale member 27. Y

Trunnions 26 maybe :formed upon the'bale member 27 for engagement by conventional .crane trunnion hooks 26 for ease in the accurate rotary positioning of `the'in'sert as'r therc'raneman places it in ythe ladle. Y

Hand rails 29', of inverted Uashape as shown in the drawings, maybe provided at the topof the ladder 2S, and extend across the adjacent'portion of the rim 29, which forms an approach platform for .theladden Entry means are provided so that .an operator may enter into thefinsert, and in the illustrated embodiment such meansincludes aladderr'ZS vreaching fromn the top to the bottom of .therinsent and 'cooperating with a rim ring Y 29 which is secured to the top ,of Ythe insert and adaptedto overhang beyond the outer diameter of the steel shell of the ladle, being spaced above the'top of the ladle suicientlyV toV allow for the escape of heat rising 'from theV ladle. Y t

Additional Vent-ry means are also shown comprising a door 30 swingable upon hinges 31 and providing additional access -to the interior ofthe liner so that it may be Ventered from floor level, astwhen itis removed Afrom the ladle.

' lf desired, in operation door .3G maybe swung open and tools and materials placed within the insert before the insert is lifted up and vplaced in therhot empty ladle.

Then Ithe operator clinrbs up toV platform 29 and de'- scends downV ladder 28 into they in-teriorof the insert where he will'nd his' tools and material and can immediately commence work chipping awayrthe old nozzle andrcementing in a new nozzle, and then the job is complete, particularly since it was possible for the ladle nozzle to be replaced under conditions of high ladle' temperature so that thernew nozzleY cement will dry almost immediately.

With the arrangement .described the insert may have quite thin metallic walls since vthe walls and intervening Vinsulation all support each other. -I't has been found that using the device and Vmethod of the invention results in a saving of two to three hours everyl time that a heat is poured., There isthlus provided a device and method of the character described capable of meeting the. objects above set forth. i Y

While I have Villust-rated anddescribed particular embodiments of the invention, further modification and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art. I desire it to be understood, therefore, lthat the linvention is not to Vbe limited to the embodiments shown andV I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart Yfrom the true spirit and scopeof the invention,

and the elements of such claims arentended to include Ireasonable equivalents. t Q

ln the foregoing description, certain terms'have been used for brevity, clearnessI and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements Vof the prior art, because such words` are used for descriptive purposes herein and are Vintended to bebroadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of theimproved construction illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the presentinvention is not limited Y to the exact details Vof construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the' construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and -the advantageous new and useful re. Y

s'ults obtained thereby; the new andV useful constructions,

and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious t-o Y those vskilled inthe art, are set 'forth in the V'appendedV claims. Y

I claim: Y

l. A ladle insert for protecting a human operator'from Y the heat of a ladle used for molten metal, and comprising the combination of bucket shaped Vinner and outer walls and heat .insulating material between said Walls around the sides of said insert and at the bottom thereof, a ladder extending down into the interior of said insert, 4a top platform extending from said ladder to a position adapted to overhang a side of the ladle, spacer guide r-ibs on lthe exterior of the shell for centering lthe shell withina ladle, and a ldoor'inrsaid ladle linsert for providing access thereto,

2. YA ladle insert for protecting a-huma-n operator from the heat of a/molten'metal ladle having a bottom lnozzle,l said ladle insert comprising -inner and outer bucket shapedV shells and intervening insulation, and having Van outerV diameter small enough to form a clearance with the inner diameter of said ladle, means for lifting said yinsert and placing it within Asaid ladle, a-top platform 'extending from the top of the interior of'saidinsert and adaptedV to overhang atop portion of said ladle, Va ladder extending Y from said platform downto. the bottom of said insert, and

a-'tool door providing access to the.inter ior of said insert,`

with the shells and the insulation at the bottorntof said insert being cut away to provide an ope-ning adapted to be aligned with said nozzle forchipping away a burnt nozzle and replacing the same with a new nozzle, and spacer guide ribs on the exterior of the lshellrfo'r centering the shell within a l-adle, wherebyV in a minimum of time the insert can be furnished with tools and materials vrand a man can immediately Vafter pouring a previous heat enter into the ladle by way of the insert and replace a burnt out Vnozzle in a minimum of time andwhe-reby the replaced nozzle will dry in a minimum of time because of the surrounding heat of Vthe ladle. t

3. YAs an article Yof manufacture as a Vheat transfer resisting insert fora ladle for molten metal, the combination of a hollow steel shell in t-he form of inner and outerV bucket-shape walls with intervening insulation :material located therebetween around the sidesV and in the bottom of the shell, opening means in the bottom and side ofthe shell and insulation providing a working'space from which Va portion of the ladle may be reached from the interior ofV Athe shell, means for lifting said shell to place it within aY ladle, spacer guide ribs upon Vthe exterior of the ,shell for centering the Vshell within a ladle, andan .annular rim 'atV the top of the shell adapted to be spaced above and overhang the top of the ladle.

References cited inthe meer Vthis patent UNrrED STATES PATENTS Shawl Mar. 30, 1926 

